


Mallows n Co.

by Melanin_Ink



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Alternate Universe - Candy Shop, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-07-12 13:30:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15996197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melanin_Ink/pseuds/Melanin_Ink
Summary: When Evan gets a full time job at a local candy shop, he senses something bitter through the sweetness. Whether it be the strange customers that wander through the shop or the even stranger manager that seemed to be avoiding him, his curiosity will lead him to secrets that will cost him.





	1. Newbie

_ Mallows and Co. _

_ Schedule (Two Weeks Out) _

 

_ Evan F. _

_ Sunday (8am to 2:30) _

 

     Evan stopped to double check the day before groaning. It was Saturday, only three days since he had moved to this city. Only two days since unpacking all of his belongings in a shitty one bedroom apartment by a pier. And only one day since applying to several different places. While he was happy to finally have a job for the summer before going into his sophomore year at the university, he just didn't appreciate having to start work so...  _ quickly.  _ He was honestly even surprised to hear back from this job so quickly. Within a  _ day, _ he had gotten an interview and was hired on the spot. All the other places he applied to hadn't even called him back yet. He kept reading.

 

_ Monday (8am to 4:30) _

_ Day off _

_ Day off _

_ Day off _

_ Day off _

_ Day off _

 

__ He only worked two days the first week.

 

' _ That’s a start, I guess.’ _

 

_ Sunday (4pm-10) _

_ Monday (4pm-10) _

_ Tuesday (4pm-11) _

_ Wednesday (9am-5) _

_ Thursday (4pm-9:30) _

_ Day off _

_ Day off _

 

   He was glad he had no plans next week. He laid out the uniform given to him earlier that day, dreading the early morning sunrise, and set his alarm for 6:30. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

  
  
  
  


     As soon as Evan awoke to his alarm, his eyes immediately felt like firecrackers had exploded on them. He rubbed at them to get the annoying burn out and threw the covers off. He stretched as he breathed in the crisp morning air. Shedding his clothes, he stepped into a cold shower to wake up. He made quick work to wash himself as to not be late, which was an excuse to not stay in the shower for very long. It definitely wasn’t the spider that had, for some reason, made the corner of his shower it’s home.

   Nope.

 

_    Definitely  _ not that.

 

    Once dried, he put on his uniform and gazed at himself in the mirror. The black and white striped button up felt soft. Not the kind of soft where it was freshly cleaned, but a worn out kind of soft. It was definitely at least 4 years old. At least it didn't smell bad. Next was the black bowtie. Evan rolled his eyes when he saw it was a clip on. Quickly fastening it around his neck, he then moved to put on his black jeans and sneakers. 

 

    Going through his empty fridge and pantry, Evan sighed. After work, he was going to the grocery store. All he had were a few cans of random sodas, some snack packs of chips, and four bananas. He grabbed his bag before throwing in his apartment key, his journal, and a two bananas. Snatching his phone from the kitchen counter, he exited his apartment and locked the door behind him. 

 

    He met little resistance as he sped to work. Going down normally busy streets when there were only two or three other cars out was peaceful. The drive was about twenty minutes long and when he finally got to the shop, he was fifteen minutes early. He parked his car and hopped out, making sure to lock it up before heading towards the entrance.

 

    The building itself appeared to be a two story made of brick. Evan remembered hearing that the area the shop was located in was a historical district. He guessed the building was at least a couple hundred years old. Probably more. Once he got to the door, he noticed a small yellow sign that read  _ “Closed - Open at 8:30am".  _ He peered inside, seeing all the lights on. He decided to push his luck and tried the handle, sighing in relief as the door opened. Quietly stepping inside, he gazed around the shop. The interview was quick, so he didn't really get a chance to look around. 

 

   The main floor was covered in large barrels overflowing with many candies. Upon closer inspection, they seem to be organized into sections. Right next to him, the barrels contained Mexican candies. Looking across from them, he found several different gummy candies, a very tall stand with lollipops of varying sizes and prices protruding out of the little holes drilled on the sides of it, and beyond that gummy island was the taffy corner. Rows and rows of white taffy boxes filled the space. Evan walked down the aisles and read each box label.  _ Pina Colada… Root Beer… Cotton Candy… Maple Bacon?  _ He shook his head.

 

   Looking around the rest of the shop, he locked eyes on what he assumed was the chocolate section. He spotted a fancy display counter and quickly went over to browse.  _ Chocolate covered cherries… Chocolate covered Oreos… Chocolate covered scorpions? _

 

_    ‘Dear Lord, what is this place?’  _ Evan wondered.

 

   “Hey.”

 

   Evan whipped around, ready to strike someone down, and came face to face with a man. Well… more like face to chest because this man was tall. He met the man's narrowed gaze.

 

   “Uh.. yes?”

 

   The man crossed his arms and frowned.

 

   “I'm assuming you're the new hire that starts today. You better answer correctly or else your ass is being tossed in the street since we're not open.”

 

   Evan gulped before nodding his head.

 

   “Good.” The man uncrossed his arms and offered him a hand. “My name is Tyler. I'm the head cashier.”

 

   Evan shook his hand reluctantly before introducing himself. 

 

   “My name is Evan.”

 

   Tyler nodded before walking towards a flight of stairs on the other side of the store, which led to the office Evan was interviewed in and storage. The second story was weird in the sense that it was more like a large loft. A balcony stretched from one side of the store to the other and several random things decorated the edge. Origami cranes, fairy lights, and most notably, four realistic clown statues. One of them was actually vibrating in its position, filling the whole store with small creaks and thumps.

 

   “Brock! The new guy is here! You wanna train him or should I?”

 

   There was a pause before a quiet voice called out.

 

   “Yeah...you train him. I gotta finish this next candy order.”

 

Tyler sighed and flicked his blue eyes to his wristwatch. 

 

“Alrighty then. Your shift is about to start. Let's get you trained.”

  
  



	2. First day

 Tyler led him up the staircase into the office. Evan heard the furious typing before they were even halfway up the stairs. The office itself was small. You'd travel the whole length of it in just under 7 feet. On the side with the entrance, there's a tall metal cabinet with several compartments labeled by name (though there were only three names present). There was also a small desk with one chair and a full sized fridge placed in the corner. In the middle of the room, pressed against the wall, was a simple red couch. There were at least three blankets draped across the cushions. On the other side of the room were two wooden cabinets, one white and one black, as well as a desk right in the center of them.

 

 A man sat at a desk located at the other side of the room, his back turned to them. He assumed that man was Brock. He stared at the back of his head, brown curls framed by the glow of the computer. Evan's attention snapped to Tyler as he cleared his throat and gestured over to two small hooks protruding from the wall. On one hook, there were several red aprons with the store’s name across the top. On the other hook, hung a stack of straw hats. They were boater hats, to be exact and Evan inwardly groaned.

 

_ I hate hats… _

 

_  “ _ Okay so everyday, you'll come up here to set your stuff down and grab your apron and hat.” Tyler started. Evan nodded. When Tyler continued to silently stare at him, he slowly put his bag down under the desk and grabbed the rest of his uniform off the hooks. Nodding, Tyler then turns around and gestures for him to follow. Going back down the stairs, they went behind a counter right next to the entrance. There's a shelf installed on the wall next to the counter. It had a thick stack of small papers, a small machine with the current time on it, and a few water bottles.

 

 “This is where you'll clock in and out everyday. Just make sure to write your name on your slip. You can also put any drinks you have here so it doesn't get in the way. Just make sure it has a lid.”

 

 “Got it.” Evan gave a thumbs up.

 

 “Good. Your shift starts in a minute so get your slip ready. I'm gonna check something real quick. Just wait for me to get back.” 

 

 Tyler then walked across the shop to the corner of the chocolate section and moved a large barrel to the side. He pushed a long curtain to the side, exposing a stairway leading downwards. Evan stared at his back as he descended them and then was obscured by the curtain. His eyes were stuck to that spot for a few more moments before he turned to clock himself in, the clock reading 8:00. He grabbed a slip before quickly scribbling his name down and sliding it under the machine. A loud click was heard throughout the store as he clocked himself.

 

  Waiting for Tyler to come back felt like a lifetime. A few minutes had passed in reality and instead of seeing Tyler emerge from the steps, Evan heard footsteps from upstairs. He turned his head to find the manager staring down at him from the top of the stairs, a cup of coffee in his hand.

 

 “Is Tyler in candy hell?”

 

 Evan stared at him blankly. 

 

 “What?”

 

 “Candy hell is what we call the lower area behind the curtain. There's a staircase leading down there. It's like our mini basement. We store our drinks down there.” He smiled.

 

 “Oh… uh yeah. Tyler's down there now.”

 

 The man hummed as he sipped his coffee. There was a pause before he spoke again. 

 

 “My name is Brock, by the way. I just realized I never really formally introduced myself and I mean I'm your boss so it's the least I can do besides welcome you. And besides if Tyler isn't around and you need me for something, it'd help knowing my name. And honestly, being called  _ sir _ is the worst. Especially since I'm young and I get enough toddlers calling me old already and I'm in my 20s. And...ah...I'm rambling now. Just ignore me.” 

 

 Evan watched as he got flustered and rosy. With a short wave, Brock turned and walked back into the office. Staring at the retreating form, he wondered if the man's morning coffee intake was responsible for his rambles.

 

 “Alrighty, man. Let's get you trained on your morning duties.” Tyler's voice rang.

 

 

 Evan collapsed on a bench a few blocks away from the shop. The last few hours had been slow, yet tiring. He was bossed around, swept the storefront and the inside of the store, and hung a flag on the pole across the street at the old school house. This was a duty their shop did for the older woman who ran it. He was then given a thick stack of small flyers advertising free candy samples to anyone who'd go into the shop and put on a corner across the street. The rest of his time before his lunch break was spent talking to random strangers and trying to convince them to go into Mallows n Co.

 

 He sat back and looked around. The whole area the shop was in was a hub of small shops and restaurants. There were six blocks in total, two being used for apartment complexes. Around him, he spotted a carnival style shooting range, a toy store that had a large golden bear made of Lego bricks, a three story costume shop, and many souvenir shops. Not very many places were open yet, but several other morning crews slowly showed up. Another thing he noticed was that there were a lot of birds out around this time. Pigeons hopped all over the place and it was apparent that the spot he was sitting in was particularly popular, if the white spattered around the bench was any indicator. He broke off a few pieces of his bananas and threw them around, watching the birds hop in a frenzy to eat the fruit before others did.

 

 “Hey.”

 

 Evan whipped his head to his right. There was a man staring down at him through thick glasses. Dark hair was stuffed in a beanie and a kind smile stretched across his face. He spoke with a heavy accent Evan couldn't quite place. 

 

 “This may seem weird, and don't freak out, but is your name Evan?”

 

 Evan’s eyebrows knit together as he struggled to form a response to that question.

 

 “I… why do you ask?”

 

 The man blinked before chuckling nervously. 

 “Ah well, I just know the other Mallows and co workers and I remembered them mentioning having a new person coming in this week.  _ And  _ you're wearing the uniform, which is pretty well known around here.”

 

 Evan slowly nodded and hummed.

 

 “Okay then.” He turned his attention back to the pigeons.

 

 After a few more moments of silence, the tall man cleared his throat. 

 

 “I'm Daithi, by the way. I work at the Crab shack behind the school house.” He gestured to his rainbow tie dye shirt with the words ‘Got Crabs?’ in white letters across the chest.

 

_ Interesting... _

 

 “Oh that's cool. It's nice to meet you.”

 

 Daithi went and sat next to him and they were bathed in silence for awhile. Evan watched him pull out a bag of chips from his bag. He tore it open and then proceeded to dump the entire bag onto the ground, into the awaiting mouths of the pigeons below.

 

 “So...how's working here?” 

 

 Daithi hummed and Evan missed how his eyes darted around. 

 

 “Working here is interesting! It's a really busy area, so you'll always have a lot to do. Not so much during the mornings, but afternoon rushes are no joke here. You'll be fine though,” he paused for a moment and looked over to Evan,“Are you working any late shifts soon?”

 

 “No I'm scheduled for the morning shifts only right now.” Evan answered.

 

 “Okay so you won't get the rundown for the nighttime procedure. This place gets a bit weird at night. It's a heavily populated area of the homeless. Especially at night. You'll get a few homeless people as regulars from time to time. Don't worry about them. Most of them are pretty cool.”

 

 “Alright. Is there anything else I should know about this place?”

 

 Daithi's friendly smile faltered before he spoke.

 

 “Anything else you need to know will be told to you when you need to know it.”

 

 His sudden change of tone surprised Evan.

 

 “Oh um...okay. Well...thanks man.”

 

 Daithi nodded, his stare seemed blank as he looked around. With a short sigh, he gained his original composure. His eyes held an emotion Evan couldn't quite place.

 

 “I need to go clock in now. I'll see you later, Evan.” 

 

 He got up, abandoning his chip bag next to Evan. He walked far before he disappeared around a corner. Evan stared at his retreating form for awhile. 

 

_ What the fresh hell was that? _

 

_ What did he mean by that? _

 

 Evan stewed in the lingering awkwardness for the rest of his lunch. When he clocked back in and continued his work outside, the feeling slowly slipped away. As the day dragged on, Evan encountered several strange people. There was the man who sat in his car and glared daggers at Evan when he told him he was, in fact, not valet. Then there was a homeless woman who kept putting her hands all over him. Tyler stomped out and chased her away with threats of calling security. And Evan  _ really  _ couldn't forget the group of teens carrying around a blowup doll as if it were another member of their weird, little group. Everything after that passed by in a blur. 

 

 The area got packed with people as the evening went on. The lunch rush was no joke and it didn't help that there were  _ a lot  _ of restaurants in the area. Evan's feet ached because of how much he's been walking around, directing people to Mallows. He almost cried tears of joy when Tyler stepped out and waved him in for his second break. As he walked in, he knocked into someone else. 

 

 “Oh! Sorry!”

 

 “It's totally fine, man!”

 

 Evan looked at the man in front of him. He was about the same height as him with light pink, curly hair. He wore squared glasses and possibly the biggest smile on his face. But most importantly, he was wearing their uniform.

 

 “We haven't met yet! My name is Craig. I'll cover for you outside while you take your break.”

 

 He stuck his hand out and Evan shook it.

 

 “It's nice to meet you. I'm Evan.”

 

 “How're you liking it here so far, Ev?”

 

 “It's okay. It's easy work so I'm not stressing out.”

 

 “Oh yeah. It's  _ real _ easy work.” Craig laughed.

 

 “Craig get out there and work. Stop stalling.” Tyler grumbled.

 

 The man sighed and rolled his eyes. He leaned closer to Evan. 

 

 “Tyler's just pissy because he knows I'm a better worker than him.”

 

 “Craig, you ignorant slut.” Tyler deadpanned. 

 

 Brock's voice rang from the office.

 

 “Language!”

 

 Tyler huffed as Craig stuck his tongue out and sauntered out of the door. Clocking out with his time sheet, Evan sat at the bottom of the staircase. He made sure to press himself to the side as to not be in the way. He leaned his head on the wood of the railing and shut his eyes. The rowdiness of the store fell on deaf ears as he soaked in the feeling of rest. He felt the ache in his legs from standing all day. He had another hour or so until he could go home and he was glad. 

 

 A vibration from his pocket shocked him into opening his eyes.

 

_ Crap. Forgot I had my phone there. _

 

 Pulling it out and unlocking it, he found a notification. Someone airdropped him...a photo? Upon opening it up, it appeared to be a picture of the inside of the shop. It was angled as if it were taken from the far right doorway, the one at the opposite of the store. There were people milling around the shop, in conversation, filling baskets with candy. But what  _ really  _ stuck out to Evan was that he could make out himself sitting on the staircase.

 

 He looked over to the doorway. No one stood there. Not even from where he could peek outside. He looked around the shop to see if anyone had their phones out. There were only a few people inside. A disheveled mother practically chasing her two toddlers around the store and a group of three teens daring each other to try a chocolate covered cricket courtesy of Tyler serving them out like samples. No one suspicious was around.

 

 It made Evan uneasy. Why send him that? Was it a joke? A mistake? And who did it? The rest of his break ticked by slowly and he spent it silently freaking out, barely able to make conversation with Tyler. Needless to say that when it came time for Evan to clock off officially and go home, he practically ran to his car and sped away.

  
  
  
  


 Later that night, Evan breathed a deep sigh as he lounged in his bathtub. The hot water felt heavenly on his sore back and calves. He didn't expect to be as sore as he was. But he was glad it was over and he had plenty of time to just soak. Music played softly from his phone, which sat on top of a towel he had on his toilet seat cover. He thought back to Mallows. First impression? It wasn't so bad. The work was easy. His co workers seemed nice enough (though Tyler was going to be a tough nut to crack). The area is interesting. It's a whole tourist trap so there's plenty to look at. Though Evan was on the fence about just how busy it gets there sometimes.

 

 He suddenly thought back to the picture and he slid deeper into the water until the water reached just below his nose.

 

_ Why am I still hung up on that picture?  _

 

__ Evan couldn't understand why it had such an impact on him. It was frankly annoying and a little embarrassing. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He reached for his phone, lazily drying his hand with the towel before grabbing it. He pulled the picture up again. He stared at it for awhile. It was just a normal picture. People shopping, Tyler talking to someone at the register, Evan sitting on the stairs and…

 

 Evan almost dropped his phone in the water.

 

 Brock stood at the top of the stairs, eyebrows furrowed and frowning, staring right at the camera.


End file.
